Glass annealing leer



July 5, 1932. J. L. DRAKE 1,865,891

GLASS ANNEALING LEER Filed Dec. 3. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l 20@o@@ I II (4 I I July 5, 1932. J. DRAKE GLASS ANNEALING LEER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 3, 1950 3nvenfor C/OHN L. DPA KE.

(Ittorneg &3 leer than that actually'employed and as a form and theformlng Patented July 5, 1932 I v I p I. i I

nan-ran STATES aren't TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO LIBBEY-OWENS-FOBD GLASS COMEANY,

OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO Jenn L. DRAKE, or

GLASS ANNEALING LEER Application filed December 3, 1930. Serial No. 499,698.

The present invention relates broadly to an taken in connection with the accompanying apparatus for forming and annealing sheet drawings. or plate glass, and more particularly to a In the drawings forming a part of this roller type glass annealing leer. I application and wherein like numerals are The leer herein provided is primarily inemployed to designate like parts throughout tended to operate in conjunction with a glass the same, rolling apparatus of the intermittent type. Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section Inthe production of successive sheets of glass through apparatus provided by the present b an intermittent rolling operation, it is deinvention, and showing the forward or resirable that the formation of the sheet be perceiving end portion of the annealing leer,

formed at a relatively great speed as com- Fig.2 is a top plan view thereo ared to the speed at which it travels in an- Fi 3 is a side elevation of a POltlOIlOfllllG ealing. This rapid formation of the glass leer howing one type of means which may be sheet is desirable from both the standpoint employed for raising and lowering the sheet 15 of production and quality, while the forward supporting rolls, 5 travel of the sheet during annealing is neces Fig. 4 is a similar view of an alternative sarily slow in ordeto avoid making the anarrangement, and healing apparatus of great length. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substan- According to the present invention, there tially on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

3:; is provided a leer of this type including two Referring to the drawings, 5 designates a 7 sets of rolls movable alternately into supportreceiver or support adapted to receive thereing engagement with the sheet and adapted upon from a pot or other'suitable' receptacle to carry the said sheet successively forwardly 6 a mass or charge of molten glass 7 to be andthen backwardly at aspeed either equal or reduced to sheet form. The molten glass is substantially equal to the speed of sheet fo'rpreferably supplied tothe receiver 5 when mation, the rearward movements of the sheet the same is in a substantially horizontal posibeing relatively less than the forward movetion as indicated by the broken lines in ig. ments thereof whereby it has a step by step 1, after which the pot 6 is removed and the passage through the leer, with the progress receiver tilted upwardly to cause the molten of the sheet as a whole being substantially glass to move downwardly between a pair soslower than the rate of sheet formation. In of forming rolls-8 and 9 which roll the glass other words, the sheet is reciprocated within to a sheet 10 of substantially predetermined the, leer with the distance it travels rearand uniform thickness. The forming rolls wardly during each reciprocation being less are spaced from one another to create a sheet than the distance it travels forwardly so that forming pass therebetween and are mountthere willbe a general retarded advance of ed upon shafts rotatably supported at their the sheet through the leer as a whole. The alop osite ends by members 11 and 12. f ternate forward. and rearward movement of p s pointed out above, it is desirable that the glass gives the effect of a much longer the molten glass be'rapidly reduced to sheet rolls 8 and 9 are conno consequence of which much more efficient a'nsequently drive'n ata relatively high pe- 'nealing'is achieved. vAlso,by maintaining the vripheral speed during the supplying of th e Jsheetin constant endwise motion at a speed molten glass thereto.' ,One ofthe forming equalor substantially equal to the rate of rolls may be positively driven as by suitable 4: 3 formation thereof, the tendency of the sheet driving means 13, and the other roll driven to sag between the rolls will be minimized from the first roll through intermeshing gears 1 anc more uniform surface obtained. 14 mounted upon the roll shafts. y r

Otherob'jects and advantages of the inven- The glass sheet or plate 10 made by the tion will become more apparent during the forming rolls is supported upon and guided course of the following description when downwardly as it leaves the forming rolls by an inclined apron or chute 15 by means of which it is deflected into a substantially hor1- zontal plane. Positioned adjacent the chute 15 and adapted to receive the glass sheet or plate therefrom is a horizontal conveyor or runway section 16 preferably composed of a plurality of horizontally aligned rolls 17 mounted upon shafts which are rotatably supported at their opposite ends in side frames 18 and 19 and being driven in any desired manner such as by keying to the shaft of each roll a sprocket 56 and training about all of the sprockets a driven sprocket chain 20. The rolls 22 are adapted to be driven at all times at a speed substantially equal to the speed of sheet formation.

Arranged at the end of the runway 16 and adapted to receive the sheet therefrom is the annealing leer 21 of the roller type and including a relatively large number of sheet supporting and conveying rolls. These rolls are divided into a plurality of sections disposed end to end throughout substantially theentire lengthof the leer, two adjacent sections being indicated at A and B. Each section iscomposed of two sets of rolls 22 and 23, with the. rolls of said sets being arranged alternately with respect to. one another. The rolls 22 are forwardly driven rolls operating at all times to advance the sheet forwardly through the leer and are driven at the same speed as the runway rolls 17 which is substantially equal to the rate of formation of the, sheet. On the other hand, the rolls 23 are rearward-1y driven rolls operating at all times-to move the'sheet rearwardly within the leer and may be driven either at a speed equal to the rate of sheet formation or at a relatively slower speed. The sets of rolls 22 and 23 of each roller section are also vertically movable relative to one another to bring them alternately into supporting engagement with the glass sheet so as to suecessively move the said sheet first forwardly and then rearwardly within the leer. In other words, the sheet is being constantly rec'rprocated within the leer while, at the same time, advancing forwardly through the leer in-a step by step fashion as will be more clearly herelnafter apparent.

The forwardly operating rolls 22 of each rollersection A, B etc. are carried by shafts 24 which project through the side walls of the leer and-are rotatably supported at their opposite ends by the horizontal supporting Inembers25 and-26. Forthe purpose of driving the rolls 22, there is carried by each of the shafts 24 at one side of the leer a sprocket 57 and trained about all of these sprockets is a sprocket chain 27 driven from a motor 28.

This motor 28 is provided with a shaft 58 upon which :is mounted a sprocket 59.

, rained about this sprocket is a sprocket chain 29-also trained about a relatively larger sprocket 6O keyed to a shaft 61 journaled in same peripheral.

bearings carried by the supporting member 25. Also fixed upon shaft 61 is a second sprocket (not shown) about which is trained the lower horizontal flight of sprocket chain 27. The motor 28 can also be utilized to drive the runway rolls 17 and this can be accomplished by passing the sprocket chain 27 about a sprocket 62 carried at the corresponding end of the first adjacent roll 17. Obviously however an independent drive for the rolls17 may be provided if preferred. In order to maintain the sprocket chains 27 and 29 tight upon raising and lowering of the rolls 22, there are provided the two chain tighteners 63 and 64 respectively. The chain tightener 63 is in the form of a freely rotatable sprocket engaging the upper horizontal flight of chain 27, said sprocket being carried by a bracket 65 secured to the side wall of the annealing leer. Likewise, the tightener 64 is in the form of a sprocket engaging the lower inclined run of the chain 29 and being carried by a stationary bracket 66. In Fig. 5, the rolls 22 are shown in their raised or elevated position, and it will be readily apparcut that upon lowering of these rolls, the sprockets 63 and 64 will maintain the chains 27 and 29 respectively tight. The rearwardly operating rolls 23 of each roller section A, B etc. are carried upon shafts 31 which also project through the side walls of the leer and are supported at their opposite ends by the horizontal members 32 and 33. The rolls 23 can be driven in the same manner asvv rolls 22 from a motor 34.

The means employed for moving the sets of rolls 22 and 23 of each roller section vertically with respect to one another so as to shift the sheet from one set of rolls to the other is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 and may be briefly described as follows2-Secured to and connecting the adjacent ends of the supporting members 25 and 32 at one side of the leer and the adjacent ends of the supporting members 26 and 33 at the opposite side of the leer is a rocker'support 37 pivoted intermediate its ends as at 38 to a fixed block 39 and to the adjacent ends of the respective supporting members 25-32 or 2633 as at 40 and 41. The rocker support 37 is formed with a depending portion 42 to the lower end of which is pivoted as at 43 a pitman 44 and, upon reciprocation of this .pitman, the support 37 will be rocked about its pivot 38 to alternately raise and lower the 'sets of rolls 22 and 23. Of course, it will be understood that similar operating means is provided at both ends of the supporting members at each side of the leer.

In the event the rearwardly operating rolls 23 were maintained in contact with the sheet the same length of time as the forwardly'operating rolls 22 and were also driven at the speed, it will be seen that the sheet would be moved rearwardly within the leer by the rolls 22 the same distance it was moved forwardly by'rolls 23, as a result' of which there would be no progress of the sheet as a whole forwardly through the leer; According tothe present invention, however, and in order to cause the sheet toadvance'forwardly through the leer' in a step by step fashion the rolls 23', actingto move the sheet 'rearwardly, may be driven at a slightly slower peripheral speed than roll's22 or may be driven at'the same peripheral speedbut not maintained in engagement withthe sheet for as long a period as the forwardly operating rolls, to the endthat the rearward movement of the sheet duringeach reciprocation will be relatively less than its forward movement and, in this manner, there will be a general retarded advance of the sheet through the leer as a whole. The advancement of the sheet through the leer may also be effected by driving the two sets of rolls 22 and 23 at the same rate of speed and maintaining them in engagement with the sheet the same length of time by providing rolls 22 of a slightly greater diameter than rolls 23.

With the above in mind, the means disclosed in Fig. 3 for reciprocating the pitman 44 to alternately raise and lower the rolls 22 and 23 includes an eccentric 45 to which the pitman is pivoted as at 46. The eccentric 45 carries a gear 47 meshing with a worm 48 on drive shaft 49. With such a construction, it will be readily apparent that, upon raising and lowering of the rolls 22' and 23, due to the rotation of gear 47, each set of rolls will remain in contact with the sheet the same length of time so that if the rolls are driven at the same speed, the rearward movement of the sheet would be the same as the forward movement. However, the rearward ly operating rolls 23 are adapted to be driven at a relatively slower peripheral speed so that the rearward movement of the sheet may be relatively less than the forward movement. By way of example, the peripheral speed of the forwardly operating rolls could be sixty feet a minute and the peripheral speed of the rearwardly operating rolls fifty feet per minute so that, upon each reciprocation of the.

sheet within the leer, it would be advanced through the leer ten feet providing, of course, the reciprocation took place once per minute.

The means disclosed in Fig. 1 for operating the pitman as is different from that illustrated in Fig. 3. Thus, the pitman 44; is slid ably mount-ed through a sleeve 50' and carries at its outer end a roller 51 operating within a cam groove 52 formed in the gear wheel 53. The gear wheel 53 meshes with a worm 54: carried by a drive shaft 55. With the construction, it will be evident that, upon rotation of the gear wheel 53 and due to the particular shape ofthe cam groove 52, the forwardly operating rolls 22 are adapted to be maintained in elevated position and therefore :tirely'within the leer, the sets of rolls rolls and no speed the same,

in contact with the sheet for a longer period of time thanthe rearwardly operating rolls 23. Vi ith this arrangement, the rolls 22 and '23 can-operate at the same peripheral speed but, because the contact 'of glass 10, being received upon the runway rolls 1'? from the forming machine, is carried forwardly at its speed of formation and delive-red at such speed into the leer 21 and, as the sheet is passed into the leer, the rolls 22 are maintained in elevated position to receive the said sheet thereupon. After the sheet is en- 22 and 23 are alternatelyraised and lowered by the means disclosed in either Fig. 3 or Fig. l so that the sheet reciprocated back and forth within the leer by these rolls in amanner to advance the sheet through the leer in a step by step fashion. The forwardly operating rolls 22 always rotate in the same direction and at the same speed and likewise the rearwardly operating rolls always rotate in'the same direction and at the same speed. Consequently, no reversing means for the changing mechanism to vary the-speed of rotation of the rolls is necessary so that the construction, operation angl maintenance of the leer is greatly simpline".

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken. as the preferred embodiment of and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit .ofthe invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

. 1. A sheet glass annealing leer of the roller type including two sets of rolls for conveying the sheet to be annealed, the rolls of one set alternating with the rolls of the second set, means'for driving the rolls of the first set continuously in a directionto convey the glass from the entrance end of the leer toward the exit end thereof, means for driving the rolls oflthesecond set continuously in a direction to convey the glass from the exit end toward the entrance end of the leer, and means for changing the horizontal relation of the two sets of rolls to move them alternately into and out of supporting contact with the sheet such that the peripheral contact of the first mentioned: set of rolls with the glass sheet exceeds that of the second mentioned set.

2. "A sheet glass annealing leer of the roller type including two sets of rolls for conveying the sheet to be annealed, the rolls of one set being alternately arranged with respect to the rolls of the other set, means for driving the rolls of one set continuously in a direction to advance the sheet forwardly through the leer, means for driving the rolls of the other set continuously in a direction to move the sheet rearwardly in the leer, and means for moving the sets of rolls vertically relative to one another alternately into supporting engagement with the sheet.

3. A glass annealing leer of the roller type including two sets o1 rolls for conveying the sheet to be annealed, the rolls of one set being alternately arranged with respect to the rolls of the other set, means for driving the rolls of one set continuously in a direction to advance the sheet forwardly through the leer, means for driving the rolls of the other set continuously in a direction to move the sheet rearWardly within the leer, said sets of rolls being driven at the same peripheral speed, and means for moving the sets of rolls vertically relative to one another alternately into supporting engagement with the sheet, said last mentioned means being of such char acter as to maintain the forwardly operating rolls in engagement with the sheet for a longer period of time than the rearwardly operating rolls.

4. A glass annealing leer of the roller type including two sets of rolls for conveying the sheet to be annealed, the rolls of one set being alternately arranged with respect to the rolls of the other set, means for driving the rolls of one set continuously in a direction to advance the sheet forwardly through the leer, means for driving the rolls of the other set continuously at a relatively slower peripheral speed and in the opposite direction to move the sheet rearwardly within the leer, and means for moving the sets of rolls vertically relative to one another alternately into supporting engagement with the sheet, said last mentioned means being constructed so as to maintain the two sets of rolls in engagement with the sheet for an equal length of time.

5. A glass annealingrleer of the roller type including tWo sets of rolls for conveyingthe sheet to be annealed, the rolls of one set being alternately arranged with respect to the rolls of the other set, means for driving the rolls of one set in a direction to advance the sheet forwardly through the leer, means for driving the rolls of the other set in a direction to move the sheet rearwardly within the leer,

said sets of rolls being driven at the same rate 11 vertically relative to length of time.

of, speed, Withthe diameter of the forwardly operating rolls being relatively-greater than the diameter of the rearwardly operating rolls, and means forv moving the sets of rolls one another alternately into supporting engagement with the sheet, said last mentioned means being of such character as to maintain the two sets of rolls in engagement with the sheet for an equal 5 her, 1930.

6. A glassannealing leer of the roller type inclndingtwo sets of rolls for conveying the sheet to bea-nnealed, the rolls ofone set being alternately arranged with respect to the rolls ofthe other 'SBBHIGSJHS for driving the rolls;

JOHN L. DRAKE. 

